MLB Player News

Riley (abdomen) still felt discomfort while throwing Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Riley is eligible to come off the 10-day IL on Friday, but the expectation is that he's going to need more time to recover from his abdominal strain. Nacho Alvarez has been handling the bulk of the third-base duties for Atlanta while Riley has been sidelined.

Manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed Wednesday that McLean will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse to start Saturday's game against the Mariners at Citi Field, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

One of the Mets' top pitching prospects, the 24-year-old McLean has delivered a 2.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 127:50 K:BB across 113.2 innings between Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton this season. The Mets will likely wait until Saturday before formally adding McLean to the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster. With Frankie Montas moving to the bullpen and Paul Blackburn (shoulder) also expected to work in long relief following his activation from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, McLean could be in line for multiple turns through the rotation until the Mets get Tylor Megill (elbow) back from the IL.

Rodriguez (elbow) underwent ulnar nerve transposition surgery Tuesday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez is currently on the 60-day injured list and will not return this season, as he faces a multi-month rehab. Rodriguez last saw the field in early June but was injured while throwing a ball to second base in warmups between innings. He played in 18 games for the Pirates this season, slashing .173/.246/.250 with four doubles, two RBI, five runs scored and a 5:14 BB:K across 57 plate appearances.

The Brewers announced Tuesday that Hoskins (thumb) has progressed to on-field hitting and defensive work, MLB.com reports.

Hoskins remains on track to begin a rehab assignment in late August, just as the Brewers had anticipated when he was initially placed on the injured list July 7 due to a Grade 2 left thumb sprain. Since Hoskins landed on the shelf, Andrew Vaughn has posted a 1.055 OPS through his first 27 games with Milwaukee, and Vaughn's exceptional performance could put Hoskins on the outside looking in for an everyday role at first base when he returns from the 10-day injured list. The right-handed-hitting Hoskins should still have a clear path to playing time at either first base or designated hitter versus left-handed pitching once he's back to full health.

The Mets optioned Hagenman to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

Hagenman pitched in three games since his latest recall but will head back to the minors after the Mets activated Paul Blackburn (shoulder) from the 15-day IL on Wednesday. Hagenman has a 3.26 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 20:2 K:BB across 19.1 innings for New York this season, so he could get another look with the big club down the stretch.

The Mets activated Blackburn (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Blackburn has made five rehab starts and built up to 97 pitches in his most recent outing last Friday. His return comes at a time of need after manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday that Frankie Montas is moving to the bullpen permanently. It's been reported by Andy Martino of SNY.tv that Nolan McLean is expected to be tapped to start in his MLB debut Saturday against the Mariners, but Blackburn also appears ready to rejoin New York's rotation. For now, though, he's likely to be available out of the bullpen.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani will be limited to pitching four innings in his next start Wednesday against the Angels in Anaheim, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers are continuing to have Ohtani get stretched out incrementally as a pitcher since he made his team debut on the mound June 16 after completing his recovery from his second career Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in September 2023. Though he's already made eight starts as a pitcher and has delivered excellent ratios (2.37 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 25:5 K:BB), he's tossed just 19 innings in total and has yet to work deep enough into any of those outings to qualify for a win. Ohtani won't be in the mix for a win Wednesday since he'll be limited to four innings for a second outing in a row in addition to serving as the Dodgers' designated hitter, but assuming he comes out of the appearance feeling well physically, he should be ready to make a five-inning start when his turn in the rotation comes up again next week.

Chapman is out of the lineup Wednesday due to right hand soreness, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman missed about a month of action earlier this summer due to a sprained hand, and he's experiencing some renewed soreness in the area. It's unclear if he's available off the bench. Casey Schmitt is starting at third base for San Francisco on Wednesday. The Giants have an off day Thursday ahead of a weekend set with the Rays.

Turang (finger) will start at second base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Turang went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 14-0 win before being lifted in the bottom of the sixth inning for a pinch hitter while he tended to a pinkie injury. The Brewers held a 12-run lead at the time of Turang's departure, so the score may have played a factor in his early removal more so than the injury. The second baseman made enough progress in his recovery overnight to re-enter the lineup for a day game Wednesday as the Brewers look to extend their winning streak to 12.

Liberatore has had difficulty maintaining his velocity deep into starts, most recently seeing his four-seamer drop to 90-to-91 mph in the fifth inning of Tuesday's loss to the Rockies, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Liberatore set down the first nine batters he faced Tuesday. However, his velocity began to slip in the fourth -- when he served up a two-run homer to Hunter Goodman -- and declined further in the fifth before he was pulled after allowing the first two runners of that frame to reach base. Liberatore has a 5.47 ERA and 12:11 K:BB over 24.2 innings since the start of July and hasn't recorded an out beyond the fifth inning in any of those outings. The lefty could be wearing down as he goes through his first full season as a starter at the major-league level. Liberatore will make his next scheduled start Monday in Miami, but if he struggles again, the Cardinals will consider altering his role. One option is to piggyback him with Kyle Leahy.